Pretty much what the title says.

How many martial artists/combat sports athletes are registered on this forum?

I myself am a Judo practicioner (disclaimer: I am not any serious authority on Judo.)

That's mainly due to the fact that where I live I am considered very short (5' 10"), so clinch fighting (and certain throws which Judo has in its repertoire) are what someone of my build excels at (or in my case, should excel at).

So, if you are a MA type, please share some stories on training, and I definetly am curious to see what kind of schools you have in Canada.

Thanks in advance.

   

Hi. I used to practice Shotokan karate back in the 80's 90's. Reached black belt status then stopped training when I realised it was becoming a way of life.
still do the odd Bassai Dai kata, it helps keep me in shape.

   

Some Tae Kwon Do and dirty street fighting from my Naval Boarding party training.

Nuts, face, nuts, nuts, knee, shin, nuts!

   

Heh. Probably watched Fight Club.

I wonder what kind of injuries people have picked up, and any tips on injury prevention, as well how training has effected you (both physically and mentally).

I've had my fair share so far, but luckily nothing to serious.

On a side note, I'd like to point out that I didn't post this in the sports forum because while I do feel that while martial arts (and especially full contact)competitions do have value, I also hold that they aren't the be-all end-all of martial arts.

   

Aikido in university

Fencing Captain (Epee/Rapier) for the University of Western Ontario, continued in Aachen, Germany while working there.

   

Jiu-Jitsu (Traditional / Japanese) and some Brazilian JJ.

Where are you from? We have all kinds of schools out here from McDojos just out to pump out belts that are more paid for than earned to smaller schools run by guys dedicated to their art and not making a living off the training they give, these are the ones I like best but they have some drawbacks, such as not often being around for many years. Also trained in Germany and toured many clubs there.

Liked it as it incorporated basic self defense, stand up fighting as well as ground work. IMO my first club is how I think they should all be. the first few months is more on basic self defense and doing things safely, like locks and falls etc. This is boring, which is good as it weeds out the guys who are there just to learn to hit things because they say a lot of MA movies. I believe in part due to this I've only had two minor injuries, even when I've done full out sparring, popped eardrum once and bruised ribs from a guy who was never taught how to grapple safely.

   

I thought that was learned on shore leave while bar hopping?

   

I actually practiced Muai Thai kickboxing for a few years before moving on to Shotokan Karate. I also had a short stint (2 months) of Taekwondo but despite it being for my body type I just found the art far too sport focused.

So I would call myself a Karateka but I certainly mix and match what I use in terms of practical self defense.

Truth is traditional martial arts take many years to learn to use effectively and certain moves like elbows and knees have much less focus in martial arts despite the high effectiveness I've found they hold in actual street defense.

I seriously hope I'm one day good enough to rely almost completely on Shotokan.

   

Krav Maga here with a sprinkling of God only knows what. We focused on blows to the larynx that were meant to silence and suffocate an opponent. It was basically the principle of the blitz attack with the goal of disabling an opponent before they could get their wits about them to fight back.

   

Aikido for over 10 years now. It's become a bit of a lifestyle, though more so for the last 4 or so than before that. It makes for a nice contrast to sitting at a desk all day long.

   

I was trying to find a clip of the Scottish martial arts style Fuck Ye but I couldn't. Guess you'll just have to watch "So I Married an Axe Murderer".

   

   

There must be a lot of dojos in Chandigarh, India.....